GIS-Based Equity Gap Analysis: Case Study of Baltimore Bike Share Program
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Article GIS-Based Equity Gap Analysis: Case Study of Baltimore Bike Share Program Istiak A. Bhuyan 1,* , Celeste Chavis 1, Amirreza Nickkar 1 and Philip Barnes 2 1 Transportation and Urban Infrastructure Studies, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA; [email protected] (C.C.); [email protected] (A.N.) 2 Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 1 March 2019; Accepted: 10 April 2019; Published: 12 April 2019 Abstract: As more cities adopt bike share systems, questions regarding equity, accessibility, expansion, and bikability arise. Baltimore City implemented bike share in 2016 with plans to expand it up to 57 stations. This paper introduces a new methodology for an equity-based planning analysis which help minimize segregation and marginalization in planning practices. The proposed geographic methodology incorporates a modified population density-based bike equity index and develops a level of traffic stress index to prioritize bikeshare infrastructure. This study provides a parallel prioritization scheme for implementing bikeshare and supporting cycling infrastructure. Keywords: Bike Share; Equity Gap Analysis; GIS-T; Level of Stress; Bikeshare Planning Practice 1. Introduction Transportation policies are always deeply inclined to adopt the technological advances, politics, and environmental concerns of present times, and car-oriented development has always dominated the transportation planning practices. These automobile centric planning and policy practices often marginalize certain portions of society. In response to changing social values [1,2], the policy objectives have progressed and ushered in the concept of sustainability—the “3Es”, Economy, Environment, and Equity [3]. Equity is being considered in most public transportation policies, which is a direct result of the civil rights movement and environmental justice mandate [2]. However, safeguarding equity for diverse social and economic groups [1] is problematic. Several transportation agencies conducted various analyses to examine how to comply with these mandates, but these equity analyses have mainly been concerned with accessibility, allocation of funding, and job accessibility. They fall short in addressing alternative modes of transportation. An increasing number of organizations and community advocates are proposing that bicycle equity be considered in all current and future transportation infrastructure projects. For bicycle equity, as they did with transportation equity, they advocate for fair treatment in policy formation, decision making, and equal distribution of investments, irrespective of race/ethnicity, national origin, or income level. Since the inception of the Bike Sharing system in 2010 with the Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C. [4] the concept has garnered incredible responses. Bike sharing is an emerging mode of transportation that operates by providing publicly available bicycles for rent. It can reduce car usage and congestion in dense urban areas while promoting a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle. Easy access, a convenient payment system, and active transportation enabled the rapid growth of the bike sharing system. Now more than 80 systems are operating within the United States. The size and scale of these systems vary from just 25 bikes and three stations in Des Moines, Iowa to 6000 bikes at more than 300 stations in New York City [5]. Baltimore City launched its own bike share program Urban Sci. 2019, 3, 42; doi:10.3390/urbansci3020042 www.mdpi.com/journal/urbansci Urban Sci. 2019, 3, 42 2 of 13 “Baltimore Bike Share (BBS)” in 2016 with 20 stations and 200 bikes which has grown to 39 stations, including five Lyft partnered stations [6]. The BBS system was designed to serve both residents and visitors who wanted to enjoy riding or commuting without the worry of parking. However, the City of Baltimore ended the relationship with the BBS in August 2018, focusing instead on companies supplying dockless bicycles and scooters. Despite BBS’ short life, it served as an important case study, and this research created valuable methodology and metrics for planning equitable bike share systems. At its peak, the BBS was the largest fleet of pedelec bikes in North America [6], which was an immense help to the riders as the topography of Baltimore varies a lot within a short distance. The pedelec proved essential for riders for whom destinations were at higher altitudes, such as Morgan State University, Hampden, Johns Hopkins University, or Druid Hill Park. From 2009 to 2015, the general bike traffic has increased by 40% in Baltimore [7]. The now-defunct BBS system had planned to meet that growing demand by expanding to up to 57 stations with 500 bikes, mostly electrics, during its final phase of development. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the equity of existing bike share infrastructure in Baltimore and provide a methodology for planning new bike share infrastructure using equity and level of traffic stress (LTS) (i.e., safety) as the primary determinants. This paper attempts to identify the equity gaps in terms of bicycle access by using geographic information systems (GIS) and socio-economic information to spatially categorize underprivileged groups in relation to bicycle infrastructure and LTS network. 2. Literature Review Equity is the measurement of fair and impartial treatment to everyone; it provides similar advantage, and considerations toward all concerned. The concept of equity and its evaluation in public programs has increased significantly [8] and environmental justice regulations also require equity analysis for all government funded investments (including infrastructure and policies). Nowadays equity is considered in most of the transportation planning documents [9], yet very few explain how equity is going to be measured and included in performance measures [10]. This is because transportation equity can be hard to evaluate, and even harder to interpret [11–13]. Equity evaluations are highly dependent on the values and concerns of stakeholders and the paradigm considered. For example, policies and decisions may seem equitable when evaluated one way but inequitable when evaluated another [12]. In general, most of the time equity is considered in terms of horizontal equity and vertical equity. Fairness and egalitarianism are evaluated in horizontal equity, which measures the equal distribution of impacts received between individuals and groups that share the same ability and needs [12,14]. Most of the transportation policies are horizontally equitable if they are fairly distributed among the servicing area, with all groups of people receiving similar allocations of resources and bearing equal cost [14]. This indicates that the spatial distribution of public transport facilities be equally accessible to all residents. However, accomplishing equal distribution in cities is often more problematic because the built environment and land use naturally develops centers and peripheries [13,15]. Vertical equity, often referred to as outcome equity, is concerned with spreading resources across social groups that diverge in their ability and/or need. If the transportation policies are redistributive—favoring the disadvantaged and compensating for overall inequalities [12,14]—they can achieve vertical equity. This equity principle requires identifying disadvantaged groups that may be in greater need of alternative transportation choices [10,15]. Transit infrastructure, especially the bike share infrastructure, is not evenly distributed in Baltimore. Disadvantaged and vulnerable communities are often transit dependent and live in undersupplied areas [10]. An alternative mode of transportation such as bike share can bridge the transportation gap for these underrepresented communities. The underrepresented communities referred as “equity communities” may be in greater need of alternative transportation choices or subject to barriers when using existing ones [9,10,14]. Equity gap analysis categorizes people in need by demographic and geographic factors by evaluating vulnerability indicators of disadvantaged Urban Sci. 2019, 3, 42 3 of 13 populations. These groups are most likely to experience inequitable benefits from a given transportation system [10,12,15]. The disadvantaged population in transportation can be categorized mainly in two ways: (1) Environmental Justice vulnerable group, and (2) Transit Dependent vulnerable group [10,16]. Transit infrastructure is not evenly distributed and access to it is often stratified by race, ethnicity, and social class. The Environmental Justice framework can advocate for addressing such inequalities across communities and significantly help to eradicate institutional/systematic disparity [9]. Historically black neighborhoods are more welcoming of pedestrian access [15] but bike lanes are often perceived as white lanes [17]. Minority persons (non-white) and low income (below poverty level) households are less likely to own a car and mostly depend on public or non-motorized forms of transportation [12,18]. Marginalized populations need alternative modes of transportation and often are more likely to adopt newer options if they are cheaper, safer, and easily accessible [19]. Persons without cars or the ability to drive are often classified as transit dependent population [10,16] and they find mobility challenging, not only in access to infrastructure [10],